Offer accepted - looking for a solicitor

stanmoor

Hi everyone

My girlfriend and I have just had an offer accepted on a property in London. We've been referred to a solicitor by the EA that wants £1,800 (fixed) for the work. Is this the norm? Can anybody recommend a good solicitor based in central London, so I can shop around?

Thanks

NorthernOne

Is that including search fees etc or just their fee for handling the mortgage?

I would assume the EA will be getting some "fee" for the referral?

stanmoor

Yes it's including 'search fees'. Is that the fee for finding the solicitor, or is this always included?

gazfocus

I would very strongly recommend against using an EA recommended solicitor. If you do a quick google for conveyencers in your area, you will be able to find plenty yourself and they will almost definitely be cheaper.

opinions4u

If you're getting a mortgage, make sure the solicitor you choose is on the panel for your lender.

Additionally, it's possible that a solicitor outside London may be cheaper.

ConfusedofYorkshire

If that is for all searches too it's a hell of a lot cheaper than all the quotes I've had and I'm in Yorkshire. Mine start at 3100!

ConfusedofYorkshire

O actually that does include 2200 stamp duty.

kingstreet

In the Midlands, you'd expect to pay about £550 + VAT + disbursements and stamp duty.

AndyT678

I would echo the advice to avoid EA recommendations. Shop around. There's a price comparison tool on moneysupermarket that does online quotes. I also contacted local firms directly and got 3 very similar quotes. I ended up taking this based on a personal recommendation from a friend:

Legal fees £ 675
VAT on legal fees £ 135
Searches £ 300
Land Registry £ 270
Telegraphic transfer £ 42

The searches number is an estimate and will probably come in a little under £300. Land registry and TT are the same everywhere. Well under £1,800 in total though. All excluding stamp duty.

stanmoor

Thanks guys - i've done some shopping around and received a few quotes. They all seem to be around the £1500 mark. When searching for reviews I always seem to find bad ones for the firms that Moneysupermarket recommends which is slightly unsettling.

A friend recommends dezrezlegal - has anyone had experiences with them?

Thanks

kingstreet

Make sure there's no extra fee charged for "acting for mortgage lender "or "stamp duty return" as the better firms include this in their headline fee and don't charge separately.

This is an area I would actually pick up the phone and talk to people. The complaints we hear most are about online conveyancing warehouses.